Multi-Grammy Winner Beyonce, Actor Don Cheadle and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai Enlisted by United Nations for Film on World’s Biggest Issues
New
Age Islam News Bureau
19
September 2020
• Arab
Women Call for Global Ceasefire Amid COVID-19
• Saudi
Woman Runs A Seamless Op to Meet Military Demands
• Muslim
Woman Says in Lawsuit that Los Angeles Police Officers Arrested Her and
Forcibly Removed Hijab
• Afghan
Women Win Fight for Their Own Identity
• Shireen
Mazari recommends Pakistani men change their mindset regarding women
• US
Embassy in Afghanistan Warns Against Extremist Attacks Targeting Women
• This
Muslim Beauty Blogger Styles Her Hijab with These Amazing Anime Looks
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL : https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/multi-grammy-winner-beyonce-actor/d/122893
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Multi-Grammy Winner Beyonce, Actor Don Cheadle and Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai Enlisted by United Nations for Film on
World’s Biggest Issues
19
Sep 2020
Nobel
Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai
-----
The
United Nations (UN) has enlisted a slew of celebrities including multi-Grammy
winner Beyoncé, actor Don Cheadle and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala
Yousafzai for a film promoting actions to tackle the world’s biggest issues
from the COVID-19 pandemic to poverty and inequality.
Multi-Grammy
Winner Beyoncé
-----
The 30-minute film entitled “Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times” is set for broadcast globally, and will premiere on the UN YouTube channel on Sept. 19 at 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT), the U.N. announced Monday.
The
U.N. said the film sets out the actions needed to build a better world as the
coronavirus pandemic threatens global progress to end extreme poverty, achieve
gender equality, promote human rights, tackle injustice and address climate
change.
Actor Don Cheadle
-----
The
film “will take audiences on a dynamic exploration of the times we live in, the
multiple tipping points our planet faces, and the interventions that could
transform our world over the next 10 years,” the United Nations said.
It
features a performance from Grammy-nominated singer Burna Boy, and a new
version of a previous U.N. performance by Beyoncé as well as appearances by
education campaigner and U.N. Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai, U.N.
goodwill ambassadors Cheadle and actress Michelle Yeoh, and UNESCO special
peace envoy Forest Whitaker.
U.N.
Secretary-General António Guterres and Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed
also appear in the film. And the U.N. said Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts
will host a radio broadcast and podcast version of the show.
“Nations
United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times” is produced by 72 Films and writer
and director Richard Curtis. He is an advocate for U.N. global goals to combat
poverty and inequality, preserve the environment and improve living conditions
for all people by 2030.
https://images.dawn.com/news/1185797/un-enlists-malala-yousafzai-and-beyonce-for-film-on-global-issues
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Najah
Aqeel, Tennessee Muslim Teen Disqualified from Volleyball Match Because Of Her
Hijab
19
Sep 2020
By
Rowaida Abdelaziz
Najah Aqeel, who is a ninth grader at Valor Collegiate Academies, a public charter network based in Nashville, Tennessee,
------
A
high school athlete was disqualified from playing at her school’s volleyball
game after a referee cited that her hijab violated the rules.
Najah
Aqeel, who is a ninth grader at Valor Collegiate Academies, a public charter
network based in Nashville, Tennessee, was due to play at an away game for the
freshman volleyball team on Tuesday. Right before the start of the game, the referee
told Najah and her assistant coach that her hijab violated the rules set by the
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the national body
that writes the rules for numerous sports for most high schools across the
country, and that she required special permission to play.
Neither
Najah nor her coaches knew anything about the requirement. She had already
played games wearing the hijab. Angered by the lack of communication and the
arbitrary enforcement of the rule, Najah began to cry.
“I
was crying, not because I was hurt. I was crying because I was angry. I just
thought it was unfair,” Najah told HuffPost. Najah’s mother, Aliya Aqeel, who
was present to watch her daughter play, was devastated and tried to get
answers.
“My
baby’s crying. She was upset and I am that mom that’s like, ‘No. You can’t make
her cry,’” said Aliya. “This was an injustice. It was because of her religion.
It was because of her hijab.”
Najah
is not the first Muslim student-athlete to have been disqualified from a high
school competition due to the hijab. In 2018, Muslim teen Noor Alexandria
Abukaram was disqualified from her race in Ohio after completing her personal
best time because officials said her hijab violated the uniform and she needed
to have a waiver.
Beyond
schools, Muslim athletes in professional leagues have also faced similar
challenges due to their hijabs, and many said they felt forced to choose
between their faith and their passion for sports. Advocates have since called
on both athletic departments and international leagues alike to end singling
out Muslims and update what they call antiqued rules that have particularly
targeted Muslim women.
A
spokesperson for Valor Collegiate Academies told HuffPost that it had no idea
the policy existed until that game, and that its other hijab-wearing athletes
at the school had never had an issue.
“As
an athletic department, we are extremely disappointed that we were not aware of
this rule or previously informed of this rule in our 3 years as a TSSAA
[Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association] member school. We are also
frustrated that this rule has been selectively enforced as evidenced by the
fact that student-athletes have previously competed while wearing hijabs,” said
Cameron Hill, the director of Athletics at Valor Collegiate Academies in a
statement.
Although
the school was able to get a waiver for Najah and future players, Hill called
the rule “discriminatory” and “inequitable.”
When
asked about the headwear rule, TSSAA, the state-level member of NFHS, told
HuffPost it was just following the rules set by the national organization.
“TSSAA
has always granted exceptions to any student that wishes to participate with
headwear, or other articles of clothing, due to religious reasons,” said
Bernard Childress, the executive director of the organization.
“The
request in this situation was submitted to our office on Wednesday, September
16, and was approved immediately,” he added. But for Najah, it was too late.
She was forced to sit out Tuesday’s game.
Neither
the NHFS or the Middle Tennessee Volleyball Association — the administration
that supplied the referee — responded to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Policing
Muslim Women’s Dress In Sports
In
2017, the International Basketball Federation overturned its long-criticized
ban on religious headwear, including the hijab, after much scrutiny. Following
the suit, the International Boxing Association announced last year that Muslim
women would also be allowed to compete in a hijab.
Big
sports companies are jumping at those changes. That same year, Nike launched
its Pro Hijab line. Companies like Adidas and Under Armour followed suit.
But
those changes came at a cost. College basketball star Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir was
on her way to playing international basketball when her dreams were halted. The
International Basketball Federation or FIBA prohibited her from playing with
her hijab. The Muslim woman who played for the University of Memphis was forced
to give up her dream. She’s since led the campaign for FIBA to change its
policy. In 2017, the league finally lifted the ban.
When
Abdul-Qaadir heard about Najah’s incident, she was outraged. She said the
incident brought back traumatic memories for her when she was confronted and
humiliated by sports officials because of her hijab.
“The
fact this is still going on and young girls have to still make this decision
between faith and sport is ridiculous, and it’s time to really put an end to
it,” said Abdul-Qaadir. “We need to take these rules out of the way so that
more of us can play freely without having to answer to anybody.”
Shireen
Ahmed, a sportswriter who has extensively covered Muslim women in sports, said
“policies that require athletes to provide waivers are extremely outdated” and
that there was no significant evidence or research that demonstrates that
wearing a hijab while playing sports is dangerous.
Schools
and athletic associations need to ultimately support and advocate for their
athletes against such policies, said Ahmed, adding that putting the onus on athletes
like Najah or Noor in Ohio can be detrimental for the player.
“I
don’t think there is any need for this policy. It just others Muslim women
athletes,” said Ahmed. “High school athletic associations really need to
revisit and reexamine what they expect athletes to do in order to compete.
These policies don’t reflect the communities they are supposed to represent and
it’s unfair to the athletes and to their teams.”
Fighting
For Change
In
Ohio, Noor was able to successfully lobby for change. In June, the Ohio Senate
passed a bill to allow student religious expression in extracurricular
activities. Najah wants the same.
“We
want the rule changes. We want the rule thrown out,” Aliya said. “That’s our
biggest mission as a family and as a team. So no other girl, not just Muslims,
but no other religious groups have to go through what we go through.”
Najah
is among approximately 65,000 Muslims in the state of Tennessee. If the rule
doesn’t change, advocates say it could discourage other Muslims from participating
in sports.
“This
just puts unnecessary barriers for people of all religions but for Muslim girls
to participate fully in sports. Our state agency should be servicing all their
student-athletes and make sure none of them feel discriminated against and
there are no barriers to playing sports,” said Sabina Mohyuddin, the executive
director at the American Muslim Advisory Council, an advocacy organization that
empowers Muslim Americans in Tennessee.
Najah
is back on the court and has played twice since the incident. Still, she and
her family feel like this is just the beginning over a larger issue for Muslim
women in sports.
“We’re
not just fighting for Najah. We’re not just fighting for Muslims. We’re
fighting for anyone that this rule impacts,” said Aliya.
https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/muslim-teen-disqualified-from-volleyball-match-because-of-her-hijab_n_5f6520d6c5b6b9795b106265?ri18n=true
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Arab
Women Call for Global Ceasefire Amid COVID-19
SEPTEMBER
19, 2020
Active
conflict is a reality in the Arab world, but it is also a reality that women
are fighting to end.
------
SEATTLE,
Washington — Active conflict is a reality in the Arab world, but it is also a
reality that women are fighting to end. On May 2020, more than 90 women’s
organizations across the Arab world, from Iraq to Yemen, joined the U.N. in a
statement calling for an immediate global ceasefire. The organizations called
for parties in conflict to form a united front against the COVID-19 pandemic by
ensuring access to humanitarian and medical assistance to communities affected,
the joint statement said. The region has experienced conflicts and wars that
have drained resources and exhausted many communities. Moreover, women’s and
girls’ suffering is substantially worse because they are more likely to be
subjected to discrimination and violence, such as sexual assault, terrorism and
trafficking.
Women’s
Organizations in the Arab States Region Unite with the U.N.
Internal
conflicts have destroyed infrastructure in the region, targeted health
facilities and severed livelihoods, said the statement from women’s
organizations across Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Yemen. The COVID-19
pandemic is amplifying the current situation in the region. If the virus were
to spread, it would ravage the entire Arab States Region despite national,
ethnic, religious and political differences.
The
spread of COVID-19 will undoubtedly exacerbate the effects of the ongoing
conflict, but the organizations argued how an increase in conflict would also
erode social fabrics. The women’s organizations wrote that a ceasefire is the
first and most essential move in the fight against COVID-19. They encouraged
channeling money from wars to helping at-risk populations who suffered from
years of armed conflict.
“Our
drained countries do not need yet another call to fall on deaf ears. We have
already missed many opportunities to usher in peace and unity,” the statement
said. “If heeded, our call would not only allow our communities to finally have
rest from senseless fighting but would also show us that we can still put our
differences aside and silence our guns in the interest of our collective safety
and security.”
To
the 91 Arab women-led organizations, both men and women need to sit at a table
and make peace a priority with a pandemic looming in the region.
COVID-19
in Conflict: How the Outbreak Further Complicates Women’s Lives
According
to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the discrepancy between male and
female confirmed COVID-19 cases is more extensive in countries where the IRC
works. The average of male COVID-19 cases is 51%, a figure which appears higher
in countries such as Somalia, Pakistan and Yemen, where about 70% of all
reported cases are male.
The
IRC report states that less than 30% of COVID-19 cases are female in Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Chad and the Central African Republic. In
developed countries, such as the U.S. and Germany, the percentage of confirmed
female cases is closer to 50%.
While
testing is already limited in developing countries, the IRC believes this
discrepancy may be linked to women’s lack of access to testing and health care
services. Women already face gender discrimination and inequality, which
transfer over to other sectors, such as education. With less access to the
internet and information, they may unknowingly create misinformation and stigma
surrounding the virus.
Moreover,
women are also experiencing the pandemic’s economic impacts as many usually
hold insecure jobs, according to an April U.N. report. About 740 million women
worldwide work in the informal economy, many of which are also in charge of
caring for children and their homes.
Due
to the pandemic, many women are also forced to lockdown in their homes, which
increases gender-based violence, such as domestic abuse. In just the last year,
the U.N. found that more than 243 million women aged 15 to 49 have been
sexually or physically abused by an intimate partner. Furthermore, the U.N.
projects that the number will only increase throughout the pandemic, citing how
reports of domestic violence have already increased in France, Cyprus, Spain,
Argentina and the U.S.
How
Arab Women Are Fighting for Women’s Rights
According
to the U.N. Women’s Chief Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, women are essential to
battling COVID-19 and are urging for peace and security. Arab women
organizations, like the ones that signed the statement, are part of this push
for change.
Kafa,
with its name translating to “enough,” is a Lebanese nonprofit organization
working to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence since 2005. The group
has advocated for law reform, influenced public opinion, conducted research and
empowered victims of violence. Kafa has also established a phone line for
domestic violence victims in need of social, legal and psychological support.
Another
nonprofit working toward gender inequality is CAWTAR, also known as the Center
of Arab Women for Training and Research. This Tunisian-based organization
focuses on research and advocacy related to gender equality. The group has
projects around the region, from focusing on the economic empowerment of
Palestinian women to improving healthcare and legal services in Yemen, Sudan
and Tunisia.
In a
world changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to amplify and support the
voices of Arab women now more than ever, especially in a call for a global
ceasefire.
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/global-ceasefire/
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Saudi
Woman Runs A Seamless Op to Meet Military Demands
MOHAMMED
AL-SULAMI
September
19, 2020
RIYADH:
Turfah bint Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi is the first Saudi woman to obtain a license
from the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) for a military outfit
factory.
The
owner of Sondos Al-Dibaj factory, Al-Mutairi has a bachelor’s degree in textile
engineering and started working in the field after graduating. She is now
specialized in military equipment, including clothing that can protect against
weapons of mass destruction and biological weapons, as well as fire-resistant
clothing.
“My
company is among the first five companies to get licensed in the field of
military industries by GAMI,” Al-Mutairi told Arab News.
She
said her factory works with international companies specialized in localizing
production of military equipment.
These
include a French company with which she has signed an agreement as a
Saudi-French investment specializing in military uniforms. The clothing is
designed to meet the needs of the Saudi military in the field.
“I
started my career in design and textile as this was my major. Fashion and
design depend on the concept more than on quantity,” she said. “There are
industries, however, that depend on quantity, and this is found in the military
sectors.”
She
said her approach to working for the military sector was founded on two
beliefs. The first is that, being a strategic sector, and from a security and
political point of view, the industry should be local and domestic, and
localizing it leads to self-sufficiency, Al-Mutairi said.
“The
second reason is that my goal since graduation has been to be part of a cycle
that seeks to create jobs for women. Textiles is one of the businesses in which
women innovate, and opening production lines for this field has been my goal
for over 20 years,” she added.
She
has worked on the project since the establishment of her first factory 12 years
ago, and she was among the first to demand the domestic production of military
clothing.
The
idea of localizing military industries had yet to be discussed when she first
started her factory. Many of Al-Mutairi’s relatives work in the military field,
which made her aware of the needs of the industry.
“I
rang the bell at the AFED-2016 exhibition, which targeted the field of spare
parts, not individual equipment. I spoke to Maj. Gen. Attia Al-Malki, head of
the exhibition, and he was very understanding of my idea, so I took part in the
exhibition,” she said, adding: “Here comes the importance of having an official
who understands the requirements of the stage and has the flexibility that
enables him to make a decision.”
The
exhibition also gave Al-Mutairi the opportunity to work with international
companies such as BAE Systems, which specializes in aircraft production. “I
discussed with them their needs, and we began to fulfill their special
requirements and supply them with spare parts for military aircraft, such as
engine covers, and we have started to develop our capabilities to cover their
delicate product requirements,” she added.
Al-Mutairi
said that spare parts are also a type of textile with unique specifications, which
can demonstrate the ability of manufacturers.
“Experience
begins with a small part and extends to include other parts. We have thankfully
passed the stages of installation and reached the stages of creativity and
innovation,” she said. For centuries, Al-Mutairi said, fabric and textile
production has been women’s work, adding that military uniforms have special
requirements that must help soldiers navigate in the field and surrounding
terrain.
“We
therefore take into account the military requirements in terms of design and
material, and this is what we are trying to develop. We had experience in
designing the uniforms for the staff of the National Center for Security
Operations (911). Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Saleh, the center’s director,
supported us, and the uniform was approved by the Ministry of Interior,” she
said.
Her
factory also took part in designing Public Security uniform. Al-Mutairi said
there are some similarities between the military uniforms of Saudi armed forces
and those of other countries. The most common uniform is the No. 4 camouflage,
which is worn during deployment.
“They
are meant to look like the surrounding area, whether it is a desert or a
mountain. These are thought-out patterns, and developments are continuously
made by following the latest technologies in textile engineering and color
combinations,” she said. “The process of changing them takes a long time and
requires decisions by the military sector.” With the comprehensive change in
the Saudi economy, cutting-edge systems are encouraging investment, especially
in the military industry, she said.
The
country goal to localize 50 percent of the military industry. Regulations by
GAMI, new systems, and employing purchasing and negotiating powers will help
manufacturers achieve the ambitious target, she said.
She
added that military technology has valued customers, and it is guaranteed that
the products will be bought if they are of high quality.
Al-Mutairi
said it is an excellent investment opportunity for Saudis and foreign investors
in particular, given that the Kingdom ranks fourth globally in military
expenditure, “and you can imagine that 50 percent of this huge spending goes to
local factories.”
She
said that despite strong competition locally, her factory alone cannot cover
market demands, and that the Kingdom needs more competition in the military
sector.
“It
also needs to localize, train and financially support talent, in addition to
developing systems, such as a procurement system. We have also seen recent
reforms such as arbitration in corporate cases, and this has become clear and
fast, which encourages investment,” she added.
Al-Mutairi
said another step that made things easier for industry investment was the
development in completing government transactions, which have moved online.
“These procedures in the Kingdom only take a few minutes and the response is
received electronically.”
In
the future, Al-Mutairi aims to build partnerships with international companies
to develop the field, quoting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said: “The
sky is the limit.”
She
has had meetings with Chinese and Greek industrial companies, and said she will
work with any company that wishes to enter the Saudi market.
While
the military industry always relies on patents, Al-Mutairi said it is an
advanced stage in the field, and her factory is working toward that goal and
focusing on it. But patents only come after mastering a skill, establishing
work and starting it, she added.
Military
uniforms resistant to weapons of mass destruction are unique to Al-Mutairi’s
factory, as it is the only one in the Kingdom and the Gulf region to produce
the clothing.
She
added that the Sondos Paul Boye Company — a Saudi-French partnership — is the
only company in the world to produce the uniform in two internationally known
methods. “The first of which is using cellular textile, produced globally by
one company, while the second uses spherical textile, produced by another
specialized company.” Sondos Paul Boye also manufactures fire-resistant uniforms.
Al-Mutairi
said her company is also looking to export uniforms soon.
She
employs 170 workers in her factory, while there will be 213 new employees as
part of a new expansion.
Many
of the workers are women, she added, “because Saudi women by all means have
taken over the foreign workers’ department as they complete their work very
quickly and demand more tasks.”
This,
she said, has added pressure on other workers to keep up with the speed and
achievements of the 49 Saudi women working on the factory production line.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1736621/saudi-arabia
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Muslim
Woman Says in Lawsuit that Los Angeles Police Officers Arrested Her and
Forcibly Removed Hijab
19
Sep 2020
A
Muslim woman is suing Los Angeles and its police department, claiming officers
forcibly removed her headscarf while waiting to enter a city meeting.
According
to The L.A. Times, Nusaiba Mubarak, 26, announced her lawsuit Thursday.
In
it, Mubarak claims she was waiting to enter a Police Commission meeting last
year when she was confronted and “aggressively manhandled by three police
officers nearly twice [her] size, who without any warning” grabbed her and
“pushed [her] to the wall, handcuffed [her], and shoved [her] into another
room” where she was stripped of her hijab and subject to further humiliation.
Mubarak,
who’s represented by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said
law enforcement rushed the area she was standing in after another protester
went over his allotted speaking time.
However,
Mubarak says police gave no reason for her own detention.
Furthermore,
Mubarak and her attorneys say law enforcement provided no justification for
their decision to remove her headscarf.
Hijab—modest
attire which typically includes a headscarf or other covering—is a widely-practiced
form of dress for Muslim women. Interpretations of Islamic scripture, including
the Quran and Hadith, typically forbid women from removing hijab save for when
they are in the exclusive presence of close relatives.
Mubarak,
adds the Times¸ was ultimately released from LAPD custody without charge. She
said the ordeal left her “shocked and quite terrified.”
Her
lawsuit names the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department, LAPD
Chief Michel Moore, Detective Corey Harmon, and four other, unnamed officers as
defendants.
In
her complaint, Mubarak explains that she decided to file a lawsuit “to
challenge illegal LAPD behavior that callously humiliated her, stripped her of
a religious garment in front of others, and erased her chance to publicly
address the public body that oversees the very officers who violated her
rights.”
The
Los Angeles Times notes Mubarak was attending a Police Commission meeting in
September 2019 to protest the shooting of Albert Ramon Dorsey the year prior.
Dorsey
was fatally shot by an LAPD officer after punching another officer in a gym
locker room. While Chief Moore declared the shooting justified, the Police
Commission’s reported suggested that departmental policy had been breached when
officers opened fire on Dorsey.
Lena
Masri, Mubarak’s CAIR-appointed counsel, said her client’s experience is
representative of how law enforcement treats religious and ethnic minorities.
“Muslim
women across the country are having their hijabs senselessly removed by police
officers, even during traffic stops for minor traffic violations, in court
houses, in correctional facilities, and when having their booking photos
taken,” Masri said in a statement.
Masri
framed Mubarak’s experience as patently illegal, saying her constitutional
rights were violated both by the unjust arrest and removal of Mubarak’s
headscarf.
“The
callousness that the LAPD officers exhibited towards Nusaiba was a senseless
attack on her religious liberty,” Masri said.
https://www.legalreader.com/muslim-woman-lawsuit-los-angeles-police-officers-arrested-her-removed-hijab/
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Afghan
Women Win Fight for Their Own Identity
Heather
Barr
September
18, 2020
Afghanistan’s
president has signed a new law that will, for the first time, include mothers’
names on their children’s birth certificates and identification cards. The law
is a major victory for Afghan women’s rights activists, who for several years
have campaigned for both parents to be named under the social media hashtag
#WhereIsMyName.
The
reform will have important real-life consequences, making it easier for women
to obtain education, health care, and passports and other documentation for
their children, and to travel with their children. It will be especially
significant for women who are widowed, divorced, separated, or dealing with
abusive partners.
It is
also part of the important, if slow, cultural shift taking place in Afghanistan
toward ending the erasure of women in Afghan society and overturning harmful
ideas, like that women and girls should not be seen or spoken about. Denying
women the right to be recognized on their children’s identification essentially
gave state backing to the idea that children are the property of the father,
and that women should not exist in public life. Women in Afghanistan still face
enormous barriers to equity, including discriminatory laws, failure to enforce
laws that should protect them, and discriminatory barriers to education and
employment. The Afghan government has often failed to respect women’s rights,
so government support for this law is encouraging.
This
is also an important victory at a moment when Afghan women know that their
rights could be sacrificed in the upcoming talks between the Afghan government
and the Taliban, and that the 3 women on the 21-member government-backed
negotiating team will be hard-pressed to ensure that a final agreement fully
respects women’s rights.
The
struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan has been long and hard, and many
Afghan women fear their rights could be rolled back in the negotiations.
Despite changes since 2001 that have seen women gain more rights,
discrimination against them remains severe and pervasive. This new law is a confidence
boost and reminder of the many battles Afghan women’s rights activists have
fought – and won – since 2001. One of their hardest battles is ahead of them,
at the negotiating table; the Afghan government owes them its support there
too.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/18/afghan-women-win-fight-their-own-identity
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Shireen
Mazari recommends Pakistani men change their mindset regarding women
19
Sep 2020
In
the current climate, public discourse is centred around issues of violence and
justice —violence faced by the women of this country and the inability of the
justice system to be effective in countering that.
But
what often goes unnoticed, or is deliberately ignored in such conversations, is
the insidious and pervasive way discrimination against women plays out in our
everyday lives, starting with stifling their voices and diversity of opinion.
Following
public outrage over the heinous gang-rape incident on a major highway near
Lahore, the National Assembly took up the issue of the tragedy through their
call attention notice.
And
while many—mostly men—gave impassioned speeches about the state of the country,
society and its laws, there was only one woman who spoke straight from the
shoulder.
Our
Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, minced no words.
Addressing
the speaker of the assembly, Dr Mazari said, "I have been listening to the
debate, where politics and the police have been discussed in detail. But I want
to speak as a woman."
She
continued, "To say that a woman is someone's mother, someone's daughter
first, is just not right. A woman is entitled to respect and regard not because
she is related to someone, but because as a woman she deserves it. She is
entitled to all the rights and privileges that a man has. I shouldn't only be
respected because I am related to married [to a male], I should be respected
because I am a woman, and more than that, an equal citizen of this
country."
Speaking
on the CCPO's controversial remarks, Dr Mazari said, "Nobody has the right
to tell me [women] what kind of clothes to wear, where and how to travel, to be
accompanied by a mehram (male relative), or ask me why I was travelling on the
roads alone. Nobody has that right over me."
Amid
desk-thumping which is equivalent to an ovation, she continued, "If a man
can't keep his gaze lowered, if a man can't treat women with respect, then tell
HIM to stay home, tell him to not come out on the roads."
While
the speaker of the assembly, and many other male lawmakers, 'giggled' at the
mere suggestion of keeping misogynistic men housebound, Dr Mazari went on to
say, "You don't know the gravity of pain and anger that the women of this
country feel on being told IF you had done this you would have been safe, if
you had done that you'd be in danger."
"Sorry,
this is completely unacceptable. And something like this should never even be
tolerated. Basic freedom is my constitutional right as a Pakistani, as a
woman."
She
recommends implementing stricter laws around the crime, improving and
sensitizing the police force, but first and foremost, to change the 'mindset'
regarding women in this society—especially the kind exclusively held by men.
Addressing
the leader of the opposition, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, who was heavily criticised
for political point-scoring during the National Assembly debate, she urged him
to stop referring to the motorway incident survivor as "Qaum ki Beti"
(Daughter of the Nation) but to rightly call her "Qaum ki Aurat"
(Woman of the Nation).
Not
only did Dr Mazari school the national assembly on framing the issue in the
right light, but she also won the support of women across the country.
https://images.dawn.com/news/1185787/shireen-mazari-recommends-pakistani-men-change-their-mindset-regarding-women
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US
Embassy in Afghanistan Warns Against Extremist Attacks Targeting Women
18
September 2020
The
US Embassy in Afghanistan is warning that extremists groups are planning
attacks against a “variety of targets” but are taking particular aim at women.
The
warning issued late Thursday doesn’t specify the organizations plotting the
attacks, but it comes as the Taliban and government-appointed negotiators are
sitting together for the first time to try to find a peaceful end to decades of
relentless war.
The
“Taliban don’t have any plans to carry out any such attacks,” spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahed told The Associated Press on Friday.
Peace
negotiations underway in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office,
are in the initial stages with participants still hammering out what items on
the agenda will be negotiated and when.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Washington’s
peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said at the start of negotiations last weekend
that spoilers existed on both sides. He said that some among Afghanistan’s many
leaders would be content to continue with the status quo rather than find a
peaceful end to the war that might involve power sharing.
According
to the embassy warning, “extremist organizations continue to plan attacks
against a variety of targets in Afghanistan, including a heightened risk of
attacks targeting female government and civilian workers, including teachers,
human rights activists, office workers, and government employees.”
The
embassy did not provide specifics, including how imminent is the threat.
The
Taliban have been harshly criticized for their treatment of women and girls
during their five-year rule when the insurgent group denied girls access to
school and women to work outside their home. The Taliban rule ended in 2001
when a US-led coalition ousted the hard-line regime for its part in sheltering
al-Qaida, which was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United
States.
One
of the government-appointed peace negotiators, Fawzia Koofi, a strong,
outspoken proponent of women’s rights, was shot last month in Afghanistan, but
escaped serious injuries and attended the opening of negotiations last weekend.
The Taliban quickly denied responsibility and Khalilzad again warned of the
dangers to the process.
The
United States has said that perhaps one of the most dangerous extremist groups
operating in Afghanistan is the Islamic State affiliate, headquartered in the
country’s east and held responsible for some of the most recent attacks. The IS
affiliate has declared war on minority Shia Muslims and has claimed credit for
horrific attacks targeting them.
The
United Nations as well as Afghanistan’s many international allies have stressed
the need for any peace deal to protect the rights of women and minorities.
Negotiations are expected to be difficult and protracted and will also include
constitutional changes, disarming the tens of thousands of the Taliban as well
as militias loyal to warlords, some of whom are allied with the government.
The
advances for women made since 2001 have been important. Women are now members
of parliament, girls have the right to education, women are in the workforce and
their rights are enshrined in the constitution. Women are also seen on
television, playing sports and winning science fairs.
But
the gains are fragile, and their implementation has been erratic, largely
unseen in rural areas where most Afghans still live.
The
2018 Women, Peace and Security Index rated Afghanistan as the second worst
place in the world to be a woman, after Syria. Only 16 percent of the labor
force are women, one of the lowest rates in the world, and half of
Afghanistan’s women have had four years or less of education, according to the
report, which was compiled by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and
Security and the Peace Research Institute of Oslo. Only around half of
school-aged girls go to school, and only 19 percent of girls under 15 are
literate, according to the U.N. children’s agency.
Nearly
60 percent of girls are married before they are 19, on average between 15 and
16 years old, to spouses selected by their parents, according to UNICEF.
Until
now, parliament has been unable to ratify a bill on the protection of women.
There
are also Islamic hard-liners among the politically powerful in Kabul, including
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, who is the inspiration behind the Philippine terrorist
group Abu Sayyaf, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a US-designated militant who made
peace with President Ashraf Ghani’s government in 2016.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/18/US-Embassy-in-Afghanistan-warns-against-extremist-attacks-targeting-women
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This
Muslim Beauty Blogger Styles Her Hijab With These Amazing Anime Looks
By
Anisah Vasta
September
18, 2020
It
all started with some Disney princesses. It was 2015 and Birmingham based
beauty blogger, Saima Chowdhury, was attempting to recreate Jasmine from
Aladdin and Rapunzel from Tangled for a new video series on her YouTube
channel.
She
dressed up as some other characters from the Disney kingdom, too – everyone
from Cinderella to Ariel – always making sure to shape her hijab to match their
trademark princess looks. But it was Rapunzel – she of the long flowing hair –
who got the biggest response.
Chowdhury
had started her channel, saimasmileslike, in 2009 at the age of 16. What began
as a comedy platform is now home to a range of brilliant videos from make-up
routines and hijab tutorials to myth-busting period and sex ed chat. It found a
loyal audience, including but not limited to other young South Asian Brits.
Such is her following, she dropped out of Birmingham City University to pursue
a full time career as a social media influencer.
“That
was the closest I got to cosplay,” says the 26-year-old of the Disney project
that inspired her to venture deeper into the world of dressup.
As a
photography student, she’d discovered the joys of Japanese anime culture in a
big way. It soon became an obsession. “After watching [Japanese manga series]
Demon Slayer I was so inspired to recreate these characters,” she tells
HuffPost UK. “Then one thing led to another.”
Cosplay,
the art of dressing up as a fictional character by meticulously matching their
outfit, face and gestures, has a huge global community. But talking about what
it means to her, Chowdhury says: “It’s all about transforming yourself into a
different character! There’s no rules, it’s all about having fun and showing your
interpretation of the character you love!”
In
the case of Demon Slayer, that’s a young boy who becomes a demon slayer after
his family are slaughtered and his sister who becomes, well, a demon. “I was
really surprised by the response I got from everyone because it was a slow
process getting over the initial fear to pull these looks off,” says Chowdhury.
She
was apprehensive before she started. “I have always been interested in cosplay,
but it’s one of those things where I question myself. I wear the hijab? How
will I do it? It’s not going to be accurate? Will I look stupid?”
She
needn’t have worried. Her YouTube channel has an impressive 95,000 subscribers,
but the Instagram account where she posts her cosplay looks has already
exceeded that, with more than 115,000 followers and counting.
Saima
attended her first comic-con convention in 2017, but wasn’t brave enough to go
in full costume. When she went to her second, she bumped into one of her
followers. “Her cosplay was amazing and made me wish I finished mine in time so
we’d match,” says Chowdhury, who’d ended up with a last-minute costume.
She
credits their chance encounter with giving her the motivation to keep going.
“It was incredible to see another Muslim woman wearing the hijab and
cosplaying,” she adds.
Chowdhury
was planning on attending this year’s comic-con in Birmingham, but it was
cancelled due to Covid-19. During the coronavirus lockdown, she has spent a lot
of her time experimenting with different face colours and makeup.
“Pre-pandemic,
I did have some cosplayers ask me to cosplay and meet them at a comic-con
event, but sadly this wasn’t possible,” she says, while noting there’s an
upside: “It’s given me more time to practise and improve my skills.”
Chowdhury’s
cosplay looks can take up to four or five hours to create, and despite their
bold colours and styling, she uses regular makeup brands such as L’Oréal, Fenty
and Mac Cosmetics to achieve them. Some even require complex techniques like
blocking, erasing and carving her eyebrows to the exact shape of each cosplay
character.
“When
I first started off, I was doing makeup looks that were more ‘inspired by’
different characters. But as time has gone on, I now pick a character and try
to match their exact look,” she says.
“The
hardest part of recreating these looks is styling my hijab and matching the
hair. I would just sit in front of the mirror for hours deciding how to match
it.”
Chowdhury
longs for greater visibility for people of colour in the UK scene. “One aspect
I have found about the cosplay community is there are still a lot of people who
gate-keep it,” she says.
“Some
people often say all the characters should be white, even-though they’re
Japanese. So when they see a person of colour in cosplay, it’s seen as
strange.”
Connecting
with more Muslim women who cosplay has made a real impact, she says. “In places
like Malaysia, the cosplay community is quite big, so they do group photoshoots
and are really accepted within the society. As time goes on, you find your
community within a community. It took me some time to navigate around but I
have found my own little space now.”
She
sees her identity as a British Bengali Muslim woman as very much “intertwined”
with her cosplay – continuing to “maintain hijab” no matter the outfit, hair or
makeup she is recreating. That’s part of the creative challenge.
“People
often have a perception of what Muslim women are, especially when they look
into the media and become shocked. Muslim women are normal women. Some of them
have engineering hobbies, some of them do archery, some watch anime.”
Next
on her to-do list is starting to making her own set of cosplay costumes and
arranging more ambitious themed photoshoots, rather than her current selfies.
Alongside
improving on her own looks, she’d also love to teach other Muslim women who
wear the hijab how to cosplay.
“I
hope people see the same excitement I feel,” she tells HuffPost UK. “I’d love
it if more girls who wear the hijab started cosplay, too, and show people that
wearing the hijab doesn’t limit you in what you do!”
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/saimasmileslike-muslim-beauty-blogger-cosplay_uk_5f4fb355c5b699772e2a5ab5?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAE4SVnVNyHgDw0VwmWGdIqnRPt_s63R3oN8EnaH6fim6IfdikpF-fU-vy_iTrHtis-smZ5-R52t5SunakfsJpzAdWlq3a_fG2LjsATrB9ohOnp6TZYLCIYmOtgsX8NLPyPKHotVHjKVaYT-d9ZurrKbF4rU22wU6Y0XWwnO3vyLk
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URL : https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/multi-grammy-winner-beyonce-actor/d/122893
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